Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My cats will only drink from a running water source, it's maddening, so this is my 4th? 5th? More? cat fountain and the best so far! It's just as cute as it appears, not too big but not so small that I am constantly filling it. My cats won't drink out of the little pond part, only the "lotus" part on top where the little output hose is, which isn't nearly as darling but works just fine. The submersible pump comes with tiny sponge-like filters, don't bother with them. They get clogged with ??? cat slobber, I guess, within a day or two, necessitating taking the thing apart, pulling out the filter, popping open the front grill, rinsing or replacing the sponge, and setting the whole thing back up just to do it again the next day. I haven't had any trouble just going without. And even if it somehow reduces the life of the pump, it'll be worth buying another one for the time it saves me cleaning it every single day. The fountain itself should be cleaned at least once a week with soap and water, as it can develop a bit of biofilm, and the pump starts to slow down about then, too. It IS a bit difficult to clean inside, if I didn't have tiny, very flexible hands, I'd have to find some sort of tool to really get inside, you may want to consider a firm-ish, fluffy bottle brush so you can get it clean without getting your paws stuck inside. You'll need to take the pump apart (the hose off, the grill off, the little water regulator tab [I took that out totally, works best without it] ) and hand wash it with a little soap and hot water, then put it back together (a tool for the little rubber pipe would help but a qtip works just fine, too). Wash the lotus, and the bowl, inside and out, rinse well, then reassemble- pump in, cord in the notch, lotus fitted into the designated hole and then fill it most of the way with clean water. Take it to where your cats drink with some extra water in a glass or bottle or whatever and plug it in. Let the pump get primed and you'll be able to tell if it needs the water topped off. Add a little at a time, tho. It works best as full as possible, just below the spilling point. Getting the hose through the hole in the lotus, while ensuring the suction cup feet remain stuck to the bottom of the bowl is best done before filling it with water. It's a snug fit so it can take some adjusting and if you fill it too much to start, it can overflow faster than the little drainage holes in the pond can keep up, or it can be pointed in slightly the wrong direction and overflow the lotus bowl instead of draining into the pond. If it gets noisy, it likely needs more water. When mine is filled optimally I don't hear anything. While it would be great if it were a little easier to clean, or needed cleaning less often, it's really not so difficult or cumbersome. It's a gorgeous little artsy fountain on its own, well made, suited to its purpose and the best one I've tried yet in every way. Worth every penny.